Loki's Gate
by TheGladElf
Summary: Ten years ago, Hiccup's responsibility to Toothless took him away from Berk and everyone else that he cared about. He'd given up on ever getting home...but what if home hasn't given up on him. Spoilers for HTTYD 2. Hiccstrid in later chapters.
1. Prologue

Clouds pressed in around Berk, smothering it in dusty light. High above, a circle of crackling lightning provided the only illumination.

Loki's Gate.

Slipping off of Stormfly, Astrid removed the dragon's saddle for the last time. This was it. Hiccup and Toothless landed nearby. His eyes were on the sky. Except for the two dragons they were riding all the other dragons were in the sky, headed for the Gate.

This is good-bye, she thought as she watched Hiccup dismount.

"This is too soon," he said. Her husband was already on the verge of tears.

_Please don't cry, Hiccup_, she thought. If he cried, she would cry and this was already impossible.

"I just needed a little more time," he yelled at the sky. "Was that too much to ask?" Shoulders sagging, he turned to her.

"Toothless has to go, Hiccup," Astrid said. "They all do. You know that." They had tried. Oh, they had tried to make this a world that was safe for dragons. They had failed. And now, if they wanted their dragons to be safe, this was their only chance. "And he can't go without you."

She knew him so well. And she knew that he hated that. She'd seen the decision in the set of his jaw. And she saw how the unease in the angle of his head and the tilt of his shoulders. If she asked, he would stay.

"He's the alpha," she whispered. Astrid wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek into the soft skin of his neck. Astrid wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek into the soft skin of his neck.

He spoke softly, "If I just had a little more time, I could make a new tail. He could fly without me."

"I know," she said. "But what if that got broken and he was grounded again? He can't survive without you." _And I can._

He'd shot Toothless down and changed Berk's destiny. Hiccup had bound him the dragon that day. Toothless would not survive without him. It was his responsibility to make sure that Toothless did survive. And the other dragons were Toothless' responsibility.

He touched his forehead to hers, fingers digging into her shoulders. "Come with me."

"I can't," she said. "Who else is going to look after Berk? Snotlout?" Astrid tried to laugh.

Had they been building up to this all along? Were all those "almosts" supposed to be preparation? Nothing could have prepared her for how much this hurt.

She knew it was true, but she wished it wasn't. She grabbed his face, kissing him hard. Wanting the impression of his lips on hers to last for however long she had to live. A crowd was gathering, but Hiccup didn't hesitate to pull her closer, hands sliding over her. Memorizing her the way she was memorizing him.

The sky cracked.

"Go," she said.

"I love you," Hiccup said. "If I can get back…"

"I love you, too." Astrid pushed him away. Something bumped her elbow. She turned to find Toothless, sniffing her and looking at her with big eyes. "You watch out for him, bud. Don't let him do anything too stupid." She scratched him under the chin.

Hiccup took one look over the crowd before swinging into the saddle. "Tell my mom…" His voice broke off.

Astrid nodded. "I will."

Stormfly had followed the other dragons at some point when Astrid had be caught up in Hiccup. They all waited in a massive, moving cloud. Toothless whined. Hiccup patted his head.

"We have to go, bud." Leaning down, Hiccup kissed Astrid again. He held Astrid's hand as Toothless took off. Their fingers brushed apart as the dragon gained lift. Hiccup focused ahead of him. He did not look back as Toothless and the rest of the dragons flew through Loki's Gate. Astrid hoped that whatever they found on the other side would be exactly what they were looking for.

Footsteps ran up behind her. Valka.

"He's gone," Astrid said. She couldn't see Toothless in the cloud of dragons anymore.

The older woman put a hand on her shoulder. "Does he know?" she asked.

"He already felt guilty enough about leaving," Astrid said. "Why give him one more reason to stay when he couldn't?" She rested her hand on her stomach. The life she had chosen would be hard, but she was a Hofferson by birth and a Haddock by marriage. This was something she could do.

"Good-bye, my love," she whispered.

Finally, she allowed herself to cry on her mother-in-law's shoulder.

* * *

**So...my brain did a thing. And I was like, "Why? Why brain? Why would you come up with such sadness?" I thought I was crazy fora few days and then I realized that this wasn't the end of a story, but the beginning of one. So don't worry, I'm gonna fix it. **

**Wait until you see what I've got in store for these two. Mwahahaha.**

**Also, as far as I know, there is no mythological basis for Loki's Gate. It is just something I made up for the sake of this story. My Norse mythology is not nearly solid as my Greek.**

**Let me know what you think.**


	2. Part I: After the Storm

Flying over the beach would have made scavenging faster, but Hiccup wasn't sure about that sky.

"Come on, bud, let's take the long way," he said, bracing his hand against the rock as he climbed down to the beach.

Trees littered the sandy shore. Bits of trunk here. A branch there. But that wasn't what Hiccup was interested in. He'd seen a ship fighting against the storm last night. He patted Toothless' nose.

"Let me know if you find anything interesting."

Hiccup didn't have any real expectations, but last night's storm was the kind where people started throwing things overboard and praying to the gods. He hoped they had made it, but in the ten years since he'd come through, Hiccup had only seen a small handful of boats survive a storm on this side of the island.

If the Gate had opened on the other side of the island, they might have had a chance. But ship's on this side of the island ended up torn to pieces against the rocks.

Bits of rigging had washed up on shore, some tackle. Hiccup coiled them all carefully and stuffed them in his satchel. Rope could always be used and metal was always hard to come by. He came across a long wooden beam, canvas still attached.

"Looks like they lost a mast," he told Toothless. That didn't bode well.

The black dragon was digging in sand. Whatever he'd found must have been good. He stopped to lick the object and stare at it. Hiccup was about to join him, when Toothless sat up, head swiveling, nose in the air. He glanced back at Hiccup, pupils narrowed, then sniffed again.

"What is it, bud?"

Toothless bolted down the beach, stopping next to a pile of rags a hundred feet or so away. He tapped it with a paw. Hiccup sighed. The way the pile moved meant that it was a body. He hated finding bodies on the beach, but someone needed to burn it so the soul reached the afterlife. As he got closer, he made out a pale hand resting against the sand. Hiccup's stomach flip-flopped. The body was small.

It was a kid.

Hiccup knelt next to Toothless. The kid was young, eight, maybe nine. The short, ragged head of dark hair led Hiccup to believe it was a boy. A light dusting of freckles stood out against the child's pale skin. Toothless gave Hiccup a gummy grin and wiggled his shoulders.

"What is it, bud?"

Toothless pranced in a circle around them.

"I'm sorry, bud, I don't understand."

Above them, lightning shot across the sky. They wouldn't have time to burn it before the next storm blew in. He and Toothless would have to get the boy under cover for now. This was someone's son, he deserved a proper funeral.

Toothless sat watching him expectantly.

"I know. I know, bud, we need to move."

Hiccup froze. Did the boy just move? He grabbed the child's arm, rolling him onto his back, pressing his hand to the child's chest.

It rose and fell. Hiccup gasped. "Toothless, did you see that?" The boy continued breathing.

Toothless nudged the boy again, crooning. When that elicited no response, the dragon licked the boy's face several times.

"Easy, bud, back off," Hiccup said. They needed to get this kid back to the cave. He looked around, what would be the best way to get the child up to their home. Toothless bumped Hiccup's shoulder. "What?"

"Is—is that a Night Fury?" a scratchy little voice asked.

Hiccup found the boy staring up at both of them with big, blue eyes. Hiccup couldn't take his eyes off the child. Now that he was awake, there was something familiar about the boy.

"That is a Night Fury," the boy cried, he lurched to his feet. "Whoa—" He swayed.

Hiccup's arms shot out, catching the child before he fell. Neither of them moved for a very long time, but finally Hiccup was satisfied that the child had just fainted. Glancing up at the sky above them, he made a decision. Cradling the boy, he swung into Toothless' saddle.

"Take us home, Toothless," he said. "No flying, though. I won't be able to steer you through if it gets windy." One arm around the boy, he grabbed a handle with his other and held on tight as Toothless climbed back up the way they'd come.

# # #

Hiccup and Toothless made it back to their cave just in time. Two seconds after they got under cover, a sheet of water effectively blocked the entrance.

"We need a fire, bud," Hiccup said. Normally, he would have just waited out the rain curled up against the heat of his dragon. Rainy weather meant the cave's chimney had to stay covered. It would get smoky fast, but the boy was soaking wet. The climate here might be fairly warm compared to Berk, but still cool enough to make you sick if you stayed in wet clothes.

Toothless shot two quick blasts at the fire pit, lighting the logs that were set to cook Hiccup's dinner. The child shivered. Hiccup stripped the boy down to his under britches and wrapped him in both of the blankets Hiccup had managed to acquire during his time here. Placing clothes and boy within the warmth of the fire, Hiccup carried his stew pot to the cave mouth. He stuck it outside to gather water.

Fish stew for lunch sounded like a good idea anyways.

Setting himself up with fish and the native vegetables he'd cultivated, Hiccup kept an eye on the boy from the opposite side of the fire. Toothless sniffed the child from head to toe, then the child's clothes. His dragon was particularly fascinated by the boy's shirt. Toothless was nearly purring as he rubbed his face against it.

Hiccup didn't know what to make of it. Was this because they've never found a survivor? Or because the boy reminds Toothless of the teen whose life was transformed the day he set a dragon free?

Whatever it is, Toothless is happier than Hiccup has seen him in a long time.

Hiccup threw the rest of the food into the pot as Toothless laid down next to the boy, curling around him.

"Toothless, you're going to freak him out when he wakes up."

The dragon snorted, rolling his eyes. It was a trick the dragon had to have picked up from Astrid. He never did anything like that himself.

But he knew what Toothless meant. The boy wasn't frightened on the beach. Clearly, this child knew about dragons. Either someone taught the child not to fear dragons or he was too young to think they were scary.

By the time the boy stirred, the stew was bubbling.

Hiccup watched his eyes open and was struck again by that feeling familiarity. He felt he'd seen those eyes open countless times. Toothless, to his credit, had backed away the minute the boy started waking up. Scampering around the fire, Toothless settled somewhere behind Hiccup.

"Hey," Hiccup said. "How do you feel?"

"Where are my clothes?" the child asked.

Hiccup pointed to the child's right. "They aren't dry yet. Give it a little more time. Are you thirsty?"

The child nodded. His eyes watched Hiccup pour water into the only cup in the cave. Hiccup handed the water to the boy.

"Here. So, how'd you end up on my beach?"

"We were on the ship and a wave came washed me over the side," he said. "Is this where you live?"

"Yes. Who all was with you?"

"You live in a cave, that is so cool. Is it just you and your dragon? Are there other dragons?"

"How about I ask the questions for a minute. Then you can ask me all the questions you want." Tried to level his best "I'm the chief and this is serious look" at the boy. It was little out of practice.

"I was with my Mom. And Grandma. And Mom's friends and some of the other villagers. We had a bunch of ships, but they all got separated when the storm came." The boy was eying the pot of stew.

Hiccup got his bowl out and ladled some of the stew out. "Careful, it's hot."

The kid scooped out a spoonful of stew and blew on it. Well, at least his mother had taught him not to be a picky eater. He blew on the hunks of fish and veggies. After he'd gotten a few mouthfuls down, his gaze shifted from his food to Toothless.

"Is that a Night Fury, mister?"

Hiccup nodded. "It is."

"Can I pet him?"

"I don't know. Can he pet you, bud?"

The dragon hopped up, trotting over to the kid. The boy's eyes widened more than Hiccup thought was possible. Very, very slowly, he held his hand out, stopping just inches from Toothless' nose and looking away. The dragon bumped the boy's palm and grinned. Hiccup was shocked, that someone had taught this boy well. The child peeked at the dragon with one eye.

"He doesn't have any teeth."

"Not right now, but trust me, he'll bring them out when he's hungry. Scratch him underneath the chin, he likes that."

Toothless did not need any prompting. He rolled onto his back, giving the boy complete access to his favorite spot.

"Wow." The boy giggled as Toothless wriggled on his back.

What was with his dragon? There was a very short list of people that Toothless was this relaxed around and this boy was obviously not one of them.

"Who taught you about dragons, kid," he asked.

"My mom," he replied. "She knows everything about dragons. She has all the coolest stories about when there used to be dragons. And dragon riders." The child stopped scratching Toothless and looked at Hiccup. "Are you a dragon rider?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Yes. What about your dad, kid?"

The boy pulled his hands back to himself, causing Toothless to roll over. The dragon laid his head in the boy's lap. Or tried to. Only the tip of his chin fit.

"My dad's gone," the boy said.

"I'm sorry. My dad died too."

"He's not dead." The boy glared at Hiccup. "Mom gets mad when people say that. He just had to go. He didn't want to, but he had to. She misses him a lot." Suddenly his bottom lip trembled. "I'm gonna be in so much trouble. I was supposed to stay below deck. And now I'm gone and she's gonna be all alone and she's gonna so mad when she finds me."

Hiccup would have smiled, except he thought it highly unlikely this boy's mother and friends had survived that storm. It was a miracle that he had survived. One of the gods had been smiling down on him. Not many people who made it through Loki's Gate made it through the storm.

The boy started crying. Toothless gave Hiccup a look, jerking his head towards the boy.

"What?" Hiccup hissed, raising his hands. He hadn't really spent much time around kids since he was one. Then again, he hadn't spent much time around kids when he was a kid anyway. Not until everything happened. Toothless looked at the boy and then at Hiccup again. Slowly, Hiccup got up and walked around to the boy, sitting next to him and putting an arm around his shoulder. "Um…it'll be okay." It sounded flat. He tried again, "I'm sure your mom won't be too mad."

"You don't know my mom."

"But I know mom's. Trust me. She'll be so glad you're okay that she'll forget to be mad. Probably."

The boy wiped at his eyes. "You think so?"

Hiccup bumped the boy's shoulder with his own. "I know so."

"You have a peg leg." The boy pointed. "Mom says my dad had a peg leg too."

"Was he a Viking?"

The boy nodded.

"Me too. Stuff like this is an occupational hazard."

The boy nodded solemnly. "Mom says that too."

"Your mom sounds like a smart lady." Hiccup decided it was time to return to his side of the fire. Picking up the bowl and spoon, he ladled out his own meal. "So, kid," he said, mouth full of stew. "Do you have a name?"

"My name's Stoick. Gran says it's a family name, she says. I still don't know if I like it. It doesn't sound as cool as my friends names. What's your name, mister."

Hiccup swallowed very carefully.

"Who—who in your family were you named after?"

The boy—Stoick was busy inspecting his clothes. He turned his shirt over, patting a wet spot and pulling it a little closer to the fire. "My granddad. I never met him. Mom says he died a long time ago."

Hiccup's heart was beating so loud he couldn't hear himself think. Something touched his shoulder. Toothless. The dragon rubbed his head against Hiccup's arm.

"Stoick, how old are you?"

"I'll be ten this winter." The pants at least had passed his inspection. Not looking at Hiccup, he turned around so the blanket hid most of him and put the pants back on. The blanket kept slipping off one shoulder.

"And your mom, she isn't, by any chance chief of Berk?"

Stoick whirled around and Hiccup knew where he'd seen those eyes before. Not in this face, though he could see now that they were very similar.

"How do you know my mom?"

Hiccup gasped, his eyes flying to Toothless. "You knew," he whispered. Of course, Toothless knew. Dragons had an excellent sense of smell. They recognized the scents between parents and siblings. He'd probably smelled Astrid all over the boy's clothes.

"I asked you a question, mister." For the first time, the boy looked around him. The flickering light drew his eyes up to the low cave roof. A surface Hiccup had covered with drawings. Inventions. Dragons. People he missed. The boy pointed to a portrait etched just above his head. "Why is my mom on your cave roof?"

Hiccup's brain locked up.

How was this possible? Scratch that, he knew how it was possible. That was a no-brainer. But how had this happened? This boy had ended up on this island. On his island. And that meant…that meant—but he'd think about that later. The question was, what to tell the boy? Should he tell the boy?

Hiccup crouched in front of Stoick. "Did—did you mom ever tell you why your, uh, dad had to leave?" He rubbed his hands against his trousers. They were shaking.

"He had to go because he had to save the dragons."

"Let me guess, your dad was a dragon rider and he rode a Night Fury named Toothless and he was the best dragon rider in all of Berk."

Stoick scowled. "Second best."

Hiccup laughed. "Of course, that's how Astrid would have told it."

Stoick crossed his arms. "How do you know my mom? Were you a friend of my dad's?"

"No. But I bet I can tell you his name."

Stoick glowered at him and Hiccup had to fight a grin. How many times had he seen that exact look in Astrid's face?

"I bet his name was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

The kid—oh gods-his _son's_ jaw went slack. "How do you know my dad's name?"

Hiccup reached inside his shirt and very carefully pulled out a metal disk. He'd been wearing it the day he left and he'd held onto it all these years. Pieces of home were precious. It had been through various settings, but Hiccup kept it close to his heart. He held it out to Stoick.

"Because, Stoick, that's my name." He felt Toothless' breath hot on his neck. "And this is Toothless."

Stoick took the disc from Hiccup's hand, turning it over and over. Hiccup knew Astrid had one just like it. Maybe she'd shown it to the boy. It was their crest. They one they'd designed for Berk when they got married.

Stoick looked up at Hiccup. "Does the mean…you're my dad?"

Hiccup tried twice to answer the boy, but his voice failed him. Finally, he nodded.

The boy looked at him suspiciously. "And that's Toothless?" The dragon lowered his head to the boy's eye level, touching his nose to the boy's cheek. Toothless' tail, which had been curled arounda and behind Hiccup, slapped against the ground. The boy stared at the faded red fin. "That's Toothless," Stoick breathed.

The child was as brave and bold as his mother. He stepped forward, putting his arms around Hiccup's neck. Hiccup didn't know what to do. Toothless nosed one of Hiccup's arms around Stoick. A hug. Right this was a hug. He was hugging his son.

His son.

Hiccup's arms tightened around the boy. "It's going to be okay. I've got you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I wanna go home."

"Me too, kid, me too."


	3. Part II: Sorting the Wreckage

It sank in as they drug the longboats up on shore.

Astrid's son had been washed overboard.

He was gone. Stoick was gone.

The thought had been a constant companion throughout the whole storm, but when you were in a sinking ship losing yourself in lashing and running and baling and doing was easy.

Astrid wasn't the only one to sink to her knees once they reached shore, but she couldn't hear anyone else sobbing. Strong, wiry arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, the familiar, lilting voice lending her strength as it had for the last decade.

Valka knew what it was to lose a son.

No one approached the chief of Berk, Gobber's rough voice called to the survivors, shouting for them to salvage what they could.

Uneven footsteps crunched in the sand.

"We're starting a fire, Val, why not take her over there so you two don't catch your death."

She was soaking wet. Of course she was. They'd been soaking wet all night. Astrid barely noticed, but she went when Valka stood, letting the older woman lead her to the warm. Someone had found a mostly dry blanket to drape around her shoulders.

"Do you think he survived?" she asked.

Valka poked at the fire for a moment. "I don't know, Astrid. Truly. He's a strong lad, if he could get a hold of something and make it to shore? Maybe."

"I have to check," Astrid said. "A have to see if there's any sign of him on the other side."

The woman looked at Astrid, her eyes large and watery. "You may not find what you're wanting, Astrid."

"I need to know, Valka." There was nothing worse than not knowing. Astrid knew that well enough.

Astrid followed Valka's gaze to the sky above them. It was still dark. Lightning jumped from one cloud to another. Her people, all that was left of her home, were scurrying about the beach, searching for belongings. Astrid stood.

"The storm isn't over," she called.

Those closest to her turned. Maybe she didn't have a booming voice like Stoick the Vast had, but years of riding dragons had developed a voice that carried when she wanted it to.

"Grab whatever you can. We'll sort through things later." For the first time in her life, Astrid truly understood the relief of having a routing. These were problems were familiar. These were people who needed her right now. Stoick was as industrious as his father, if he'd made it to shore, he could hold his own for now. She needed to focus on getting everyone settled so she could go looking for him. "Gobber get those boats secure. They should be the least of my worries. Fishlegs, Snotlout, you get the strongest together and help him. Eret, head inland and see if you can find any kind of shelter, you have half an hour. Take the twins, they're always good at finding dark places. The rest of you, everything needs to be behind the treeline when this things hits again."

She was a Viking.

Vikings survived.

# # #

The best Eret and the twins were able to find was rocky outcrop a little deeper into the forest. The canopy was thick. That would provide a little shelter on its own. Many of the trees were familiar to Astrid, even if the climate was not the near winter of before the storm. The Berkians worked quickly, rigging sails between trees, doing their best to stay dry and warm.

Now Astrid sat, staring at the fire. A familiar struggle was waging itself in her mind.

For ten years, fear had tried to chip away at the feeling that told her Hiccup was alive. It was more than her faith in his bond with Toothless or in his cleverness. Something in her believed that she would feel it if he'd died. With no proof, it was a shaky feeling and she had doubted it more than once, but something in her said that Hiccup was alive.

And now that voice was whispering the same about her son.

Astrid clung to that voice.

"It's a mess out there," Eret said as he sat next to Astrid. He was soaking wet.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"I thought I saw caves up higher." He jerked a thumb at the outcrop behind him before digging into the bowl of stew in his other hand. "We found a whole network. Ruff and Tuff are still up there looking around, but I was starving."

Astrid nodded. "We could make a home out of this place. We'll have to take a better look around soon." Wherever this place was. It was flatter than Berk, but so far, that and the weather were the only main differences. "We'll see what the twins have to say about it, but if they're habitable I want to move everyone up there once this rain lets up."

"Consider it done, chief." He paused, tapping his spoon on the edge of his bowl. "You know, Astrid, you don't have to worry about any of this."

"Yes I do."

"No, you don't. Not right now. Between Valka, Gobber and me, I think we can keep a few Vikings from dying of exposure."

Astrid shook her head. How to explain something that had no rational explanation? Their whole boat saw Stoick go over the side. Astrid hadn't been the only one who watched the water for any sign, anything that would tell them where to look for the boy. She would have been in the water in a second, storm or no storm, if she had seen so much as a trail of bubbles.

"I have to make sure the village is settled, Eret," she said. She couldn't meet his eyes. She was afraid he would think she was crazy. Could anyone who had no children understand? "As soon as I'm sure the villagers will be alright, I am searching this island for any sign that my son is alive. I can't do that if my people aren't taken care of."

Not for the first time, Astrid ached for Stormfly. On her dragon, she could have searched the island in a day probably. Who knew how long it would take for her explore on foot.

"Then I'm going with you."

"Where are we going?" Ruffnut asked, plopping down next to Eret. Her nose wrinkled. Carefully, she sniffed at Eret. "Eugh. You smell like a wet sheep." Another sniff. "A dead, wet sheep." Ruffnut scooted a little further from him.

"I'm going looking for Stoick."

Ruffnut squinted at Astrid for a long moment, then shrugged. "I'm down. It'll be better than sitting around here. Are you finished with that?" Without waiting for an answer, she snatched the bowl from Eret and began to stuff her face with stew. Eret rolled his eyes and got up to get more food.

They were a strange pair.

For the entire time that Ruffnut had pursued him with her unorthodox flirting, Eret had shied away and avoided her. It wasn't until long after she'd grown bored that the two became what Astrid would deem friends. Not surprisingly, they had bonded over dragons.

Now, Astrid wasn't quite sure if they were a couple. To the outsider they were merely just good friends. But to someone who saw them on a regular basis, they spent an increasing amount of time together. Especially over the last few years. If anyone knew, it was probably Tuffnut, but he hadn't let anything slip so far.

"You look like, Hel," Ruffnut said.

"Well, at least one half of me looks decent."

Ruffnut waved the spoon at her. "Seriously, Astrid, you should get some sleep."

"I will," she said. It was just too early to sleep right now. If she curled up and dozed off now, everyone would know it was because of what had happened last night. They might question whether or not she could handle all this. It wouldn't be the first time. No, she would wait and see what happened with this storm.

"For what it's worth, I think he might still be out there too."

"You do?"

"Yeah. He's Hiccup's kid too. And look at hard to kill he was—is. Well, looks like I'm off for a refill." Ruffnut stood, dumping the dregs of her stew on the fire. It sizzled and spit as she walked away.

# # #

The rain didn't let up until late in the evening.

A trip down to the beach showed that all the ships were still there and the sky was clear. For now at least. Despite her burning desire to be doing something, Astrid let the Berkians rest. They could move into the caves—which had been deemed habitable after the twins answered many specific questions—in the morning. Tonight her people needed sleep.

She'd found the chest that held her and Stoick's things. Not much of it would be of use to her just yet, but she snagged a couple of blankets and one of her son's toys. Gobber had made it for him. It was part of a set, all of them dragons. Stoick had little figures of them all: Nadders and Nightmares, Gronkles and Terrors, Thunder Drones, Lumberjacks, even a Boneknapper. This toy however, was specific.

This was Toothless, right down to the little red tail. Astrid wasn't sure how such big hands had been able to capture such detail. But this movable, metal dragon with his painted green eyes, was her son's favorite.

And hers too.

Holding him tight to her chest, she curled up under her blankets and fell asleep.

Tomorrow would come early.


	4. Part III: First Flight

Stoick fell asleep before the storm ended.

After their…moment, the boy had explored the cave, pestering Hiccup with more questions than he knew how to answer. Hiccup had kept up as best he could, until he'd finished a long explanation about Toothless' tail and been greeted by silence. When he looked over, terrified that the boy had wandered off, he found Stoick asleep with Toothless curled around him.

He'd thrown a blanket over the child—though he knew Stoick probably didn't need it sleeping so close to a dragon—because that seemed like something dads did. Hiccup didn't exactly have a normal model to go on. He and his own father hadn't really connected until his teens. His dad had always been so busy running the village and fighting off dragons and keeping Hiccup out of danger.

Sleep wasn't an easy find that night. Most of it he spent watching his son—_his son—_and Toothless sleep and trying to figure out what to do next.

He was so lost. Hiccup had no idea how to be a father, much less to a nine-year-old. Most dads had some time to get used to the idea and figure things out before their kid got to be too old. But he hadn't been a father yesterday.

Scratch that, yes he had. He just didn't know it.

Had Astrid known?

No, she would have told him. Wouldn't she?

Should he have waited to spring this news on the boy? Stoick seemed to be taking it well so far, but Hiccup remembered the brave face he'd put on to impress his own father. Maybe he should have tried to find Astrid first.

If she was still alive.

Hiccup shuddered, turning away from that thought. For ten years, the idea of Astrid back home on Berk kept him going. Astrid wouldn't give up, so he wouldn't give up either.

She had to be safe. The world was too cruel otherwise.

# # #

Hiccup opened his eyes to find Stoick standing over him. He didn't have to look outside to know that the sun was barely up.

"I'm hungry," Stoick said. "And so's Toothless."

Hiccup groaned. The little bit of sleep he'd gotten had been filled with terrible dreams. This boy and his mother had played central roles.

"Do you always get up this early?" He rolled his shoulder, biting his lip as the pins and needles spread down from the joint.

Stoick nodded.

"Well," Hiccup said, suppressing a smile, "you don't get that from me." He fished a loaf of flat bread out of a basket.

"Mom says I'm just like you," Stoick said, tearing a piece of and sticky the chewy stuff in his mouth.

"Does she now?" Hiccup said.

"Uh-huh," Stoick said around a mouthful of food. "Mostly when I'm in trouble."

Hiccup did laugh at that.

Maybe he could do this.

He had sudden sympathy for his mother, who had been confronted by a full-grown son after twenty years on her own. Looking at his own son now, he could imagine how she had felt. The guilt. The uncertainty. The need to make things right.

Maybe he should follow her example.

"Do—do you want to see the other dragons?" After all, if there was one thing he had going for him, it was dragons.

"There are more dragons?" Stoick's wide eyes brightened, like the sky at noon.

"Didn't Ast—your mom tell you that I went away to save the dragons?" Hiccup stood, grabbing a long stick of wood from the fire and gesturing for Stoick to follow him. Trying to keep the nine-year-olds shorter legs in mind, he led the way through the cave. Toothless followed behind them, his claws scratch-scritching on the stone floor.

The island that Hiccup and the dragons had made their home on had many cave networks. Most of the habitable ones were on the other side of the island, but they had decided against settling there for various reasons.

"What's that?" Stoick asked. They were getting close to the main cavern and sounds carried down the tunnels.

"That is the sound of a snoring Gronkle."

Most dragons kept an Astrid-like timetable, getting up with the sun. Toothless was often up and about on the island long before Hiccup opened his eyes. A few, however, many of them older dragons, liked to sleep in a little. They didn't stir until the sun was pouring in through the hole in the cavern roof.

Hiccup held a hand out, stopping the boy. "You ready, bud?"

His son nodded, his gaze fixed straight ahead on the softly lit entrance. The boy was bouncing on his toes, an action Hiccup felt himself fighting at that same moment. Toothless grumbled and shoved them both into the daylight.

"Whoa," Stoick cried. He ran forward, forcing Hiccup to run after him.

"Not so fast," Hiccup said. "These dragons haven't had many good experiences with strangers over the last decade. Stick with me, why don't you?"

"Okay, Dad."

Something in Hiccup's chest —he was reasonably certain it was his heart—flip-flopped. Though, it scared him how easily this child had accepted him, he was glad the boy wasn't fighting him. Of course, not many people could offer a giant black reptile as proof.

Stoick kept turning this way and that, trying to take it all it. He stretched his arm towards the dragons flying overhead, naming them as he pointed. A small piece of Hiccup was sad that Astrid wasn't here to see this. He could see her, eyes as bright as Stoick's were at this very moment and proud smile on her face. And then, she would have turned to him, her smirk asking if he saw how well she'd done with their son.

"Hold on," Hiccup said. "There's someone you should meet." Hiccup whistled, eyes peeled for the particular dragon he was looking for. She wasn't inside the cavern with the other dragons who were warming up, but he heard her respond. And then she flew through the roof with a lazy loop.

She landed in front of them with a hop, claws digging into the dirt.

"A Deadly Nadder," Stoick said, his voice soft.

Hiccup stroked her nose. "Stoick, I'd like you to meet Stormfly. She was your mom's dragon. Stormfly, meet Astrid's son."

The Nadder cocked her head at the familiar name. They'd spent a lot of time, Stormfly and him, talking about Astrid. Well, he'd done all the talking, but Stormfly was a very good listener.

Now she looked at Stoick, peering down at him with first one eye and then the other. Stoick pressed up against Hiccup's side, his hand gripping one of the buckles on his much patched riding gear. Hiccup supposed the Nadder with all her sharp teeth and spines was a little more intimidating than Toothless would be with when his eyes were all big and green.

"It's okay, she won't hurt you. Give me your hand." Hiccup took the boy's hand, keeping one of his hands on Stoick's shoulder as he walked both of them closer. Stormfly bent her head down, nostrils flaring as air whooshed through them. She did not move as they inched forward. "Okay, that's good. Now just wait."

Stoick didn't move, round eyes watching the Nadder. With a cooing noise, she pressed her nose to the boy's palm, closing her eyes.

"She—she likes me?"

"Of course she likes you. What's not to like? You're a Haddock."

Stormfly tilted her head, exposing the soft spot right underneath her jaw. Eyes still impossibly huge, Stoick reached for it. He gave it a tentative scratch and Stormfly made a happy gurgle. The boy grinned.

"Do you think Mom would let me have a dragon?" he asked.

"Uh…" Astrid's hand in raising Stoick was apparent and he didn't think she'd object, after all she was only a few years older when she got Stormfly. Still, the idea of Stoick riding around on a fiery beast, doing who knew what scared Hiccup a little. How had his father kept from having a heart attack? Hiccup found a new appreciation for his own father. "I think that's something your mom and I will have to talk about first."

Stoick's face fell. Hiccup's brain scrambled, trying to figure out a way to bring that endearing smile back. How had Astrid refused this kid anything?

"But, uh, I bet she wouldn't mind you flying with me and Toothless."

"Really?" Stormfly was forgotten as Stoick threw his arms around Hiccup's waist and hugged him. He didn't seem to notice Hiccup's awkwardness as he stood with his had frozen in the air, not at all prepared for this kind of attack. "Can we go now?"

Hiccup shrugged. "What do you think, Toothless? Are you ready to go flying?"

The dragon rolled his eyes.

Hiccup picked the boy up and placed him in the saddle, swinging in behind him. "Alright, now hold on tight to those handles," he said.

"What happens if I fall off?"

"I'm not going to let that happen." Not a chance.

"What happens if you fall off?"

"Toothless knows what he's doing, he'll take care of you. Now lean forward."

The dragon spread his wings, stretching them once before taking off. They shot up into the air and right out of the spacious hole. Stoick yelled and covered his eyes, but Hiccup had him tightly around the waist. This boy wasn't going anywhere.

As Toothless evened out, Stoick slowly uncovered his eyes.

"Whoa. Everything's so small." He twisted around. "How high can he go?"

"You want to see?"

Stoick nodded.

"Alright, hold on then." Hiccup patted Toothless' head. "Show him what you've got, bud."

His son grabbed the handles as Toothless twisted, shooting upwards with powerful strokes of his wings. He looped and dove down to skim the water with first one wing tip and then the other. Then they headed up again, breaking through the clouds. Stoick let go with one hand, reaching to touch the soft looking clouds, gasping when the cold droplets went right through his fingers.

Hiccup smiled.

Spiraling around, Toothless brought them back to the cavern.

"That was awesome!" Stoick jumped down. "First we were like, whoosh," he used his hand to mimic Toothless' take-off, "and then he were down by the water and the spin. Dad the spin!" He ran around the dragon, arms spread.. Stoick skidded to a stop, whirling on Hiccup. "Mom said Toothless couldn't fly without you, but you don't have any pedals or anything like she said."

Hiccup bent to pick up Toothless' tail. "I managed to fix it so he can fly, see?" He pointed to the mechanism that allowed Toothless to operate the fin on his own. It had taken time to find or make the tools he needed, but eventually, after years of scavenging shipwrecks, Hiccup had built a pretty decent forge. For here anyways. "Now all he needs me for is to make sure it doesn't get rusty."

"But you didn't come back."

Hiccup felt his heart break. If he had only known...

"I couldn't come back, kid," Hiccup said. Swallowing, he knelt in front of his son. "As far as I can tell, Loki's Gate only goes one way. Trust me, if I could have gotten back to Berk, I would have."

"That's what Mom said."

Hiccup nodded. "Your mom is right."

Stoick watched the ground, scuffing his shoes against the rock floor. "Dad…"

Breathe, he told himself, just keep breathing. "Yes?"

"Do you think Mom is okay?"

"Your mom is the toughest person I know. I bet she's just fine." Hiccup wasn't sure how he managed this around the rock in his throat. Astrid was Astrid. No one could beat her. She was untouchable.

She was also human. No human could breathe underwater. And if she had made it to shore, she was going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Stoick voiced the question that Hiccup had been pondering since last night. "Do you think we could look for her?"

"I think someone should," he said. "But I think someone needs to stay here too. Just in case she comes looking for you. What do you think?"

"I could stay," Stoick said.

"That sounds like a good idea," Hiccup said. "And I bet Toothless would hang out with you here."

The Night Fury was scratching his head with a back paw. He froze, back leg in the air and glared at Hiccup. Toothless hated being left behind, even now that he didn't need Hiccup to fly.

"It'll be loads of fun, right, Toothless?"

"But who will you fly?"

"Who better to look for your mom with than your mom's dragon?"

Toothless grumbled. Hiccup knelt next to him, scratching him beneath the chin as he leaned close.

"Please, bud, you know I can't take him to the other side of the island and I wouldn't trust anyone else," he whispered. Hiccup leaned back to make eye contact with Toothless. The dragon blinked, then gave him a rough, wet lick right up the side of his face. "Toothless says you'll have a great time."

He whistled for Stormfly again. The blue dragon spiraled down towards him.

"You two stay out of trouble," Hiccup said as he jumped on. "And don't have too much fun without me."


	5. Part IV: Meeting the Neighbors

Astrid woke at dawn.

Conscious that not everyone would be appreciative of an early start, Astrid took her time packing. All those years of exploring with Hiccup came in handy now, as she tried to decide what she might need on this island. Last she took the little Toothless toy and stuffed it deep into her pack.

The sky was just barely pink when she ran out of patience and went in search of Valka and Gobber. Eret must have been watching for her. He was already up and had woken the twins (a task she knew was next to impossible before the sky was fully blue, unless of course dragons were attacking). He'd gotten very good at anticipating her next move over the last several years.

Would it be better to leave him behind? He might be more use here with Valka and Gobber.

Astrid found Valka was standing at the treeline, looking up at the sky.

"There's something about this place," Valka said, letting the sun rest on her eyelids. "It smells so…wild."

Astrid nodded. She had a feeling that if Hiccup had been able to stay, her mother-in-law would have spent far more time wandering. Astrid had been glad to have her help, though.

"Eret says there's a cave network higher up the mountain," Astrid said. "I'm going to take a look, but from what the twins say, it might work for now."

"I'll come with you," she said.

Eret judged rightly. Not only did it provide shelter, it was relatively defensible, as long as they weren't attacked by dragons. But those had been gone from this world for ten years. Funny how she still was on the lookout after all this time.

"We'll have to scout for better ground iw we're to settle permanently," Valka said. "But this will do for now. I'll have Gobber set to work dismantling the ships and getting us set up here."

"Let's get everyone up here first," Astrid said. "As soon as everyone is safe, I'm taking a group to explore."

"To look for Stoick, you mean," Valka said, crossing her arms. Even after all these years, Astrid still found her awe-inspiring. "Go, Astrid—"

"I'm chief. It's my responsibility make sure everyone is settled."

"Oh, I think I can manage to move a handful of stubborn Vikings," she said. Valka took Astrid by the shoulders. "You're allowed to be a mother before you are chief, Astrid. Go. Find my grandson. I'll take care of things here."

Astrid blinked, clearing her vision. "Thank you." She turned to Eret and the twins. "Get Snotlout and Fishlegs. You have ten minutes to grab whatever you need and meet me on the beach."

# # #

"So, where to Chief?"

"You know," Ruffnut said, leaning close to Astrid. "It's adorable how Eret always calls you 'Chief'."

Astrid waved Ruffnut away.

"I want to cover the coastline first," she said, pointing down the beach. "If Stoick did make it to shore, he'll know to stay there. We'll cover the beaches and then we'll move inland."

"Lead the way," Eret said.

They started south, following the beach, staying in the shade of the trees where they could. In a several places, cliffs made the beach impassable and they had to move further inland, but they never got far from the shore. It wasn't long before Snotlout and the twins were all complaining, loudly.

This island was strange and familiar at the same time. The coast at least was far less rocky than Berk the other islands nearby, but she recognized most of the vegetation and the few animals that they came across. If they were smart about hunting and were able to get the few animals they'd brought with them to thrive, this place would be good for them.

"Thor's balls," Snotlout said. "It's hot."

"Hot is better than wet," Fishlegs said. "Do you think there will be another storm like the one that wrecked us?"

Astrid looked to Eret. Of the six of them, he was the most experienced sailor. You didn't depend on the winds when you had a dragon. Eret scanned the horizon.

"Not likely, unless there's something hiding on the other side of the island."

"Ugh, what is with these bugs? I'm being alive."

"Me too," Tuffnut said. "Hold on, there's one on your face." He smacked his sister and fourished his hand, slimy with bug guts.

"Awesome," Ruffnut said. "Do it again."

Astrid contemplated telling them to shut up, but they were looking for Stoick, not hiding from him. The twins' bickering and Snotlout's whining would draw her son to them.

Besides, who would mess with six Vikings?

Fishlegs came up beside her. "I'm sure we'll find him, Astrid," he said, placing a meaty hand on her shoulder. "I've heard all kinds of stories about people who survived getting washed overboard. Gobber told me…"

Astrid half-listened to her friend as they kept walking. The undergrowth was so thick in places she had to tune him out completely to keep from falling flat on her face. Still, they stayed in the trees. The cover felt good, the sun was beating down from right above them now. They were all sweating. Not for the first time, Astrid missed Stormfly. On her dragon she could have covered the whole island in one afternoon—probably. They moved inland again, their path blocked by cliffs.

In front of them, Eret froze. Bending his arm, he held up his fist. They all stumbled to a halt behind him.

"What is it?" Astrid asked.

Eret had led them to the edge of the cliff, they would have to turn right and go further inland if they wanted to get back down to the beach. But that wasn't why he had stopped them. There, nestled in a bay between the cliffs, was a small fishing village.

"So the island isn't deserted," Fishlegs said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tuffnut asked. "Let's go meet our new neighbors."

Astrid shook her head. "Not so fast. We know nothing about these people. We need to exercise caution."

"Or we could just go down and bust some heads," Snotlout said. "That'll teach them to fear us."

"That's a horrible idea, Snotlout," Astrid said. "No, we skirt around it. I don't think we've gone far enough to have reached where Stoick fell overboard. We can always come back and ask questions later."

The others, except for Snotlout, nodded.

They gave the village a wide berth as they continued on. Astrid didn't relax until they were safely past. She didn't have time for politics right now. There was a child out there that needed his mother. Gods help anyone who got in her way.

"What was that?" Ruffnut whispered as they started for the shore once again.

"Nothing. You're hearing things again," her twin replied.

There was a snap to their right. All of them froze as a hulking man stepped out from behind a tree. Astrid hadn't even seen him.

"Well, what have we here?"

Metal hissed against leather as Astrid and her friends drew their weapons.

"That's not very friendly, now is it?" the man asked, holding his hands out from his sides.

Astrid arched an eyebrow. "Neither is commanding your men to surround us."

"Oh. A smart lass, then. Better come out boys," he said.

Half a dozen men stepped out from the trees, weapons in hand. Astrid's grip on her battle axe tightened. Their garb was hodge-podge, nothing to give her any clues about their origins or fighting style.

"We're just passing through," she said. "We don't want any trouble."

The first man laughed. "Nobody just passes through this island. If you've made it through the Gate, we're permanent neighbors. This all that made it?"

Without loosening her grip, Astrid lowered her axe a little. This was his turf and he had a right to be suspicious.

"We're a small group," she said, shooting a look at Fishlegs.

"Vikings by the look of you."

Astrid nodded. "We wrecked on the beach yesterday. Like I said, we don't want trouble. We're just looking for other survivors."

"We maybe could help you with that," he said. He took a step closer.

Astrid did not flinch away, but she glanced at Eret just to gauge what he thought. The Sami man didn't look any easier than she felt.

"I think it'd be best for us to go it alone for now. Wouldn't want to scare any of our people."

"If they're Vikings, they don't scare easily." He laughed. "I'm Jarle the Terrible."

"Astrid."

"Astrid?"

"Yes. Just Astrid."

Jarle narrowed his eyes. He looked from Astrid to the twins to Snotlout to Fishlegs.

"You wouldn't happen to be from Berk, now would you?" He didn't wait for an answer. The looks on their faces must have been enough. "Well then, you wouldn't happen to be that same Astrid that was always hanging around that boy on the Night Fury. Hiccup was his name, wasn't it? Of course you are, I can see it now. Didn't recognize you all grown up."

"Do we know you?"

The man swept his cloak back, displaying his belt buckle. Astrid recognized the crest.

"You're a Berserker."

He grinned. "Was. Have my own band of men."

"Jarle, if she's friends with the Night Fury's rider, she might be useful." Astrid didn't recognize the man who came up behind Jarle, but then, she hadn't recognized Jarle either.

The big Viking hissed at his lackey, slicing a hand across his throat. The other man shrank back.

Astrid twirled her axe. "I prefer to be useful on my own terms. We're going now."

The Berkians clustered around Astrid, weapons at the ready. Jarle stared her down for a moment, before stepping aside. He signaled for his men to fall back. Raising a hand to his forehead, he saluted Astrid and then he melted back into the trees.

"It can't be that easy," Snotlout said. He waited several moments. "That was no fun."

"We don't have time for fun, come on." She met Eret's eyes, jerking her head so that he knew to take the rear. He'd keep an eye out for those men. Snotlout was right about one thing. It couldn't be that easy.


	6. Part V: Old Friends

Bringing any dragon to this side of the island made Hiccup nervous.

This was the side with people. Unfriendly people who only saw dragon as beasts that needed to be broken to the will of a master. So he kept to his side and he made sure they stayed on theirs.

He would have taken the long way around, but direction was the only clue he had and the ship had been going the short way towards Jarle's village. He had no choice. When he came to the cliffs of Jarle's village, he took Stormfly high out over the water. No need to risk a run in with the Berserkes and his band of pirates.

The beach yielded few other clues. Hiccup found a bit of wreckage not far from where Stoick washed up, but nothing substantial to justify closer searching. It was just the normal detritus that you sometimes found when a ship passed by in the storm. Which was the only time ships passed by. As far as he could tell, the only one thing about Loki's Gate was predictable: it always opened in the middle of a storm. There was no specific time that it opened and, if the kinds of people that came through were any evidence, no specific place. Sometimes ships came through, sometimes it just stormed. The other night was the first time in three years that anyone had come through. Another three years could pass before anyone else arrived, or there could be another arrival tomorrow.

"There, Stormfly," Hiccup said as they came out of the clouds again

Several Viking longships lay on the beach, well above the tide line. People milled round them. Making repairs he guessed, some of the damage was obvious even from this high up.

"That must be them." Hiccup felt his heart squeeze. Astrid was down there. Probably. If she hadn't been swept overboard like Stoick. "Let's go down easy, girl." He patted the Nadder's side. "Let's find Astrid." Time to face the music. He only hoped she was happy to see him.

The dragon began a slow spiral towards the beach. At first the tiny people continued about their business, then someone shouted. He and Stormfly were closer enough now that he could make out body types, but no individual faces. They had to be Berkians. Who else would wait so calmly on the beach? Any other group would be scrambling for weapons. These people just clustered together, pointing and shielding their eyes.

A big man separated from the crowd. Hiccup's fingers tingled. He knew that gait.

It had to be Gobber.

"Thor's beard," the man boomed. Hiccup couldn't help the grin on his face. "Easy, you fools. I know that dragon." He used a hand to shield his eyes. The big man went rigid, arm falling limply to his side.

Stormfly landed twenty feet from where the other Vikings stood. He didn't have to look for Astrid. There was no way she would be standing calmly with her dragon so close.

Hiccup jumped down. He didn't know what to do with his hands, like he was fourteen all over again. Only if he was fourteen, he'd be in the forge and there would be all manner of things for him to fiddle with.

"Hiccup?" his old friend breathed. "Is it really you, lad?"

"Hello, Gobber," he said. He strode forward, holding out his hand. Gobber seized the hand, pulling Hiccup in for a hug that ground his ribs together. For a moment, Hiccup thought Gobber must be pounding his back with the mallet that took the place of his left hand. Then he realized that it was the right hand Gobber was tenderizing him with.

"Let me look at you, lad." The big Viking held Hiccup at arm's length. Tears glistened on his ruddy cheeks, running into the silver that had overtaken his mustache. "Look at that, Stoick's boy, all grown up."

"I'd like to point out that I was grown-up when I left Berk."

"Aw, pssh. You," Gobber shook his mallet at someone Hiccup couldn't see. "Run and fetch Valka. Tell her our boy has finally come home."

Hiccup grabbed the man's meaty arm. "As much as I want to see my mom, Gobber, where's Astrid?"

Gobber rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's a funny story. Seems she's gone off in search of—someone. Why don't we wait for your mother?"

"I know about Stoick, Gobber."

"Do you now? And, um, how would you know that?"

Hiccup waited until the blonde man met his eyes. "I've met him."

There was a gasp from behind them. "He's alive?"

Hiccup swung around to face his mother. Valka too, had tears in her eyes. With a cry she took his face in her hands.

"Oh, my boy. My boy." she said, wrapping her arms around him. For a moment, Hiccup let himself forget why he'd come. This was his mother. He was safe with her. But there was a boy, waiting in a cave for his own mother.

"Mom, which way did Astrid go?" he asked, pushing away from Valka. "Did she go south?" He bit off a curse when she nodded.

"Why, Hiccup? What's south?"

"Jarle," Hiccup said. He turned to Gobber. "He was one of Dagur's Berserkers."

"It's Astrid," the blonde Viking said. "I think she can manage one of Dagur's madmen."

"Besides, Eret and the others went with her."

A strange feeling twinged through Hiccup. He shook it off. There were more important things to worry about right now.

Squeezing his mother's hand, he said, "I have to go. Even with the others, Jarle's people will outnumber them. Get more men out here on the beach and do what you can to make your camp defendable. You're close enough to Jarle's village that he cause trouble. And if he knows you know me, he'll be doubly bent on raising Hel. I'll send Cloudjumper and some other dragons as soon as I can," he called over his shoulder as he vaulted onto Stormfly. With a last wave at his mother and Gobber, who were beaming broadly, he and the dragon shot into the sky.

# # #

He and Stormfly spent a most of the afternoon searching for Astrid. But she wasn't on any of the beaches.

"She could be anywhere," Hiccup muttered. If she had gone inland, there were any number of places she could be. Or Jarle could have already gotten to them. Once Stoick was asleep, maybe he'd try to sneak off with Toothless and take a look around the village. He felt guilty for leaving the boy alone for most of the day.

You could do that with a nine-year-old, couldn't you?

Hiccup didn't remember his father keeping too close an eye on him at that age. But then, Hiccup had almost always been in the forge when he hadn't been at home.

"Augh," he said when they landed back in the cavern. He leaned his forehead against the dragon's scales, giving her a good scratch behind the spines. "I have no idea what I'm doing, girl."

With a final pat, Hiccup trudged off. He was starving. Hopefully, the boy had found more of the bread. He should have made sure that Stoick had some food before he left, but he hadn't planned on being gone so long.

"Hey, kid," Hiccup called out, as he reached his own cave. "How do you feel about roasted fish tonight?"

Silence greeted him.

"Stoick?"

Something rustled in the corner. Toothless. He lifted his head and blinked sleepily at Hiccup. Then he sat up, lifting his wings and looking around furiously.

"Toothless, where is my son?"

The sheepish dragon sniffed the air. Then he went rigid.

"What is it, bud?"

But Toothless didn't even look at him. He leapt up, bounding out to the overhang and disappearing over the edge. Hiccup took off after him. Something was wrong. He knew it. Not watching where he was going, Hiccup stepped in a puddle of water. His false foot slid on the smoothed floor of the entrance. Backside hitting the ground hard, Hiccup groaned.

There was a shout from below. Blocking out the pain, Hiccup rolled to his knees, pushing himself up. He clambered to his feet and looked at the beach below. Toothless was not glowing and hissing as Hiccup expected him to be. Instead, he was sitting calmly amidst a group of seven or eight people.

They were all standing on his beach: Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And there, kneeling in front of Stoick, still looking like everything it meant to be a Viking was,

"Astrid."

There was absolutely no way she could have heard him, but she chose that moment to look up.


	7. Part VI: Found and Lost

"I don't like this, chief," Eret said.

"You've said that, like, fifteen times. I think she gets it," Ruffnut grumbled.

"Would you please be quiet?" He used 'please', but Astrid could tell that the heat was getting to him as well. None of them were dressed for weather so mild. When they left Berk, the weather was on the cusp of winter. Layers had been shed back at the camp, but there wasn't any time for them to find their summer garb.

"Astrid," Eret said, catching up to her. "We'll need to make camp for the night in a few hours. And I don't like that idea with those men on our tail."

"Have you seen any sign of them?" she asked.

Eret shook his head. She looked to the others. They all made gestures to the negative.

"We'll keep going until we find a good spot," Astrid said. "And we'll post watches." She was surprised not to run into any more trouble from Jarle and his men, but they had gone inland for a bit. Maybe that had been successful at throwing him of their trail. They were headed back to the shoreline now. She could see the golden glow of sand just through the trees.

They were turning parallel to the beach when a long dark line caught her eye.

"Guys." Astrid pointed

It was a mast. Specifically, it was a mast attached to a sail with the Berkian crest. The mast they had lost when they lost Stoick. This was the place. Astrid leapt into a run, crashing through the trees and out on the sand. She scanned the beach, looking for any sign of her son. What if, oh gods, what if he was here, rotting along with the wreckage of their ship?

"Mom?"

Astrid's head snapped to her right.

Kneeling on the ground, up to his small elbows in sand was her son. He scrambled to his feet, covering half the distance between them before Astrid could move. She dropped her battle axe, falling to her knees and opening her arms as her son barreled into her.

"Mom," he sobbed.

"It's okay, baby. I'm here," she said. She thought she might be crying too. "I've got you."

The boy buried his face in her neck, crying even harder.

"Astrid," Ruffnut called.

The shock in her voice chilled Astrid. Pushing her son behind her, Astrid's eyes went to the bluff on the other end of the beach, where a dragon had just appeared.

It was a Night Fury.

The dragon gurgled and jumped down from the ledge, gliding down to the beach before bounding towards them. Before she could stop him, Stoick pulled away from her and got between them.

"No, it's okay, Toothless. It's my mom. You know my mom."

Toothless didn't pay any heed to the boy, jumping around him neatly before tackling Astrid and licking her front thoroughly.

"Toothless." Astrid threw her hands up, trying to shield herself from dragon slobber. Toothless rubbed the side of his face against her chest. "I've missed you too, bud." She scratched beneath his chin, fingers brushing against paper thin leather. Astrid went rigid. Toothless let her shove him aside. Grabbing Stoick's arms, she demanded. "How did you know his name?"

The boy's lower lip trembled.

"Stoick, this is important, who told you the dragon's name?"

Something inside of Astrid released, tension that had been building for ten years lifting. Her eyes sought the ledge where Toothless had appeared.

It wasn't empty.

He was there.

"Astrid," Hiccup cried.

Astrid tried to shout his name as he half-slid, half-jumped down the path to the beach. All that came out was a nameless cry as she pushed off from the sand, running, jumping over the mast, not slowing down until their bodies collided solidly.

Now she knew she was crying.

She was aware of the arm around her waist, the hand digging into her shoulder, the nose pressed just behind her ear as he breathed her in. She was doing the same, smelling the salty-wildness that mingled with the scent she knew. He tried to pull away, but her arms were around his neck like a vice, so all he managed was to gain enough room that their foreheads pressed together.

"Oh, gross," someone, it sounded like Snotlout, said. "C'mon kid, trust me, you don't want to see this."

Part of her wanted to stop whoever was taking her son away. She didn't want him out of her sight, but when she pulled way to say something, Hiccup opened his eyes.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi." She'd forgotten to breathe, so it came out wispy.

His heartbeat thumped against hers, they were already starting to sync.

"I knew," she said. "I always knew."

Hiccup grinned and her heart skipped a beat. "Well, you know us Berkians. Harder to kill than a Monstrous Nightmare."

Astrid laughed.

Toothless butted his head against her shoulder. She let go of Hiccup long enough to kiss the dragon on the nose.

"I probably have you to thank for this, don't I?"

The dragon gurgled and pranced around them, his tail cutting a trail in the sand. His tail. Of course, Stoick would have recognized it instantly.

Stoick. All the tension that had just released Astrid returned tenfold. She glanced away from her husband. How did one break news like this ten years late? Biting her lip, she turned to where her—their son had been.

He was gone.

"Eret, where is he?" she asked. Had she known he was gone? Someone had said something maybe, but anxiety of seeing him gone again was making it hard to think.

Eret jerked a thumb behind them. "He went with Snotlout and the twins. I think they were worried about—overwhelming displays of affection."

"And you're not?" Hiccup quipped.

"Somebody has keep a lookout on the beach," he said. At another time, Astrid might have pointed out that Toothless was a sufficient lookout, but her nerves held her tongue. She hadn't even been this nervous on their wedding night.

Still not looking at Hiccup, Astrid stalked over to her battle axe. Picking it up, she brushed the sand off of the blade. Having the weapon in her hand calmed her somewhat. She was a Viking, after all. Words ran over and over in her mind, all of them discarded because they weren't just right. This had to be right. It was already going to hurt.

"Hiccup…" she said at the same time that he said, "Astrid."

Then Stoick screamed.

Astrid jolted into motion, barely registering that Hiccup was only a second behind her. They crashed through the trees, Eret and Fishlegs behind them.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. They were on a strange island. Jarle and his men were still out there. How could she have let her guard down. Stoick called out for her again as Astrid burst into a clearing. Snotlout and Ruffnut lay on the ground, while Tuffnut struggled with one of the strange men. There was easily double the number that had ambushed them that morning.

"They took the kid," Tuffnut cried. His opponent kicked him away, hurling a knife at him. A blast of blue fire knocked the knife off course. It landed a few feet away from where Tuffnut was picking himself up.

"Ah, ah." Jarle stepped into the clearing, wagging his finger. Another half dozen men behind him. "Quite the chatterbox you have there, chief. He seemed especially excited to have met you, Hiccup. I wonder, do you know why?" Jarle grinned at Astrid. The smile only grew wider as she lunged for him. "I thought I'd hit the jackpot with you, my dear, but this—oh this is so much better."

"Where is he?" she snarled.

"Oh, with the time my men are making? Can't be sure, but I can make sure you don't catch up with them. Watch that Night Fury, won't you, old friend?" Jarle leaned against the tree, inspecting his fingernails. "If I don't make it back, my men have orders to cut the boy's throat."

Hiccup's breath hissed through is teeth. His eyes flicked to Astrid. "What do you want, Jarle?"

"Well, now." Jarle's drawl grated against Astrid's ears. If she had killed him this morning, none of the this would be happening. "I'm not entirely sure about that, but as soon as I've made up my mind, I'll let you both know."

"You bastard," Astrid said. She lunged again, but Hiccup had a tight grip on her arms.

Jarle spun with the grace that so many big Vikings had. His men followed, eyes on Toothless the entire time. As soon as they had faded into the forest, Fishlegs and Eret rushed forward, kneeling next to their fallen friends.

"He's breathing," Fishlegs said.

"Ruffnut's fine too," Eret said. The Viking in question was already stirring. "Easy there, don't sit up too quickly."

"Bah. I'm fine," she said, lurching upright. She swayed, but warded off both Eret and Fishlegs attempts to help. Snotlout was coming around too.

"How could you just stand there?" Astrid smacked Hiccup solidly on the chest. The blow was strong enough to break his hold. Hiccup winced, rubbing hand over the leather across his chest.

"Because I know Jarle. He doesn't make threats lightly."

"Snotlout, get up," Astrid said. "We're going after them."

Hiccup grabbed her hand. "That's not a good idea."

She yanked her hand from his. "He's my son!"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Astrid regretted them. She braced herself for the shock on Hiccup's face. And the hurt. She only found anger. Just anger. Astrid swallowed, she could could on one hand the number of times Hiccup had been truly furious with her. And she couldn't really blame him.

"He's our son," Hiccup said.

The tense silence was broken in seconds by Fishlegs, "Okay, we're going now." He hauled Snotlout to his feet and half-marched, half-carried him back towards the beach. The twins supported each other as they scurried after him. Eret hovered just in the corner of her vision.

"Am I right?" Hiccup demanded.

"Hiccup…"

"Did you know?"

Astrid couldn't meet his eyes.

Hiccup sighed. "Of course." There it was, the hurt. It was ten times worse than she'd been expecting.

"Hiccup, maybe you should back off. You don't know what the last ten years have been like."

Hiccup glared at Eret and his restraint became abundantly clear. "No offense Eret, but is this any of your business?"

"Well, I, uh…" Despite the fact that he was easily twice Hiccup's size, the Sami man took a step back.

"Then butt out."

Eret looked to her. Astrid nodded. He didn't leave, but he took several more steps back. Another pointed look form her and the big man followed the others. Astrid put a hand on Hiccup's arm. He jumped, realized it was her and relaxed a little. When he finally looked at her, she saw the veil fall back over his anger.

"We should go check on Snotlout and Ruffnut," Hiccup said, running a hand through his hair.

Astrid's grip on his arm tightened, turning him back to her. "We should go after our son, Hiccup."

"Not yet. First we need to…"

"No. I did not spend two days worrying and all day searching to have Stoick taken from me again. He's alone with those men and probably terrified."

"You think I'm not aware of that, Astrid?" He pressed his fingers against his eyelids. "Gods, this is my fault. If I had just taken him with me, he would be with my mom right now and—"

"You left him here alone?" It came out louder than she meant, but all her experience as chief kept it pitched low. How could he have left a nine-year-old alone? Of course, that made sense, the child had been on the beach by himself when she found him.

"Of course not, I left him with Toothless." Hiccup pointed to the black dragon. "I didn't want him anywhere near Jarle's side of the island, how was I to know he'd follow you here. This side of the island is normally safe."

"Stoick is nine-years-old and you left him with a dragon he barely knows."

"He's almost ten," Hiccup spat. "And Gobber left me alone in the forge dozens of times at that age while he dealt with dragon attacks."

"It's not the same. I can't believe…"

"I'm sorry, alright? I don't have ten years of experience. I've known about him for one day, so excuse me if I'm not up to your standard of parenting."

They glared at each other. Hiccup took a deep breath in, turning away from Astrid. He kicked at a tree with his false foot, the metal gouging a divot in the bark. The urge to reach out to him, or slap him, tempted Astrid. She crossed her arms.

"We're wasting time," he said. "Let's look after the others and regroup."

# # #

He lived in a cave.

Astrid didn't know why that surprised her. Why not a cave? His best friend was a dragon after all.

"Toothless," he said as they entered. The Night Fury sent a blast into the center of the room. Fire sprang up from a pit, lighting the low cave. She and Hiccup could walk upright, but Fishlegs and Eret had to stoop. He pointed to Snotlout and Ruffnut. "You two, sit The rest of you, make yourselves at home."

Still not up to talking with her husband, Astrid took a turn about the room.

Hiccup had no bed, just a pile of blankets. She saw a few baskets, obviously hand woven, and a very battered sea chest. There was the fire pit in the middle. And drawings. The ceiling and walls were covered with sketches. Tools, sketches of dragons, Berk and her. Over and over again, she found her face, her figure. There she was holding her battle axe. There was one of her on Stormfly, arms outstretched. In the corner was a rather intimate one, lovingly sketched in smooth, languid lines.

The woman's eyes were closed, hair falling in swirls around her face, but Astrid recognized the scar on the woman's hip and the shape of her body. Casting a glance at the others, she surreptitiously moved one of Hiccup's baskets in front of it.

She kept pacing, unable to sit still. There had to be something she could be doing. Hiccup didn't seem to need any help tending to their friends.

"Good thing your skull is so thick, Snotlout," Hiccup said. "Didn't even dent the skin."

"Well, you know us Jorgensons have always been hard-headed."

"Oh, I remember," Hiccups said, moving to Ruffnut. The side of her face was scraped pretty bad. One long scratch right above the tip of her eyebrow was bleeding badly. Her face was covered in blood. "You weren't so lucky."

"Will it scar?"

"Probably."

"Goody."

Hiccup just shook his head. "This is going to sting."

Ruffnut didn't flinch as he carefully wiped away the blood.

"So, what brought everyone here? What happened to Berk?"

"Dragon Island exploded," Snotlout said.

"Exploded?"

"Yeah, you should have seen it, all red and molten. It looked like a giant forge," Fishlegs said.

"Made ash like a blacksmith's fire, too," Astrid said. "The cloud spread so far there was ash on Berk and over Berk for months. Nothing would grow. We could barely breathe. So we packed up everything we could and went looking for a new home." Some decided to stick it out, but most of the Berkians had jumped at the chance to pack up and sail for somewhere that the sun still shone. Leaving Berk hurt like few other things had. It felt like she'd finally given up on the man kneeling beside Ruffnut. Like, she was forsaking any chance of ever finding him again.

Funny how that worked out.

"Are we just going to sit here chatting?" Eret said. He leaned awkwardly against the wall, his chin bent to his chest. "Or are we going to do something about those blokes that just took Stoick?"

Before Astrid or Hiccup could say anything, Tuffnut said, "We're waiting for a plan."

"Then let's plan," Eret said.

"Hiccup already has a plan," Astrid said.

That got Hiccup's attention. "What makes you say that?"

"Dude," Ruffnut said, "you've got your 'I have a plan' face on."

Astrid nodded.

Eret threw his hands in the air, grumbling when they smacked loudly against the cave wall. Hiccup backed away from Ruffnut, allowing Toothless to lick the side of her face gently.

"Let that dry. It'll stop the bleeding." He placed the bowl and the rag on the floor and sat back on his heels, looking to Astrid. "Attacking right now would be foolhardy. While it's still daylight, they have the advantage. Give them time to get back to the village and get settled. We attack them while they think they're safe."

"But shouldn't we get going?" Fishlegs asked. "It took us hours to get here from there."

"That was then. This is now."

"Astrid, why are you smiling?" Tuffnut asked.

She was smiling. Despite everything, she couldn't help herself. "Do none of you remember why Hiccup left?"

Her friends looked at each other, clearly at a loss. Eret finally spoke, grinning as well.

"The dragons."

Hiccup stood. "Follow me."

He took them down a long tunnel. The only light they saw for several minutes was the torch Hiccup carried and then, they entered the cavern.

"This is amazing," Astrid said. It stretched high above them, like a hive. Rosy evening light lit the hole in the roof, making it glow. The walls were covered in little paths and catacombs. Perfect places for a dragon to nest for the night.

And there were dragons. So many of them. On the floor, flying above them, resting on the little ledges. Without even knowing, her eyes started searching. A loud whistle beside her made her jump. There was a familiar squawk and Astrid looked up in time to see a head pop out of niche.

"Stormfly," Astrid whispered. Her dragon leapt from the ledge, gliding down, landing so close, she nearly knocked Astrid down. Astrid petted the Nadder all over, inspecting her, looking for any differences since the last time she'd seen her. The Nadder was nearly purring. Around her, she could hear her friends calling for their dragons. It sounded like Meatlug had already found Fishlegs.

"I don't see Cloudjumper," Hiccup said. "He's probably still outside. I'm going to go see if I can find him and send him and some others to my mom. Astrid, please, don't do anything until I get back."

Astrid nodded.

Hiccup swung onto Toothless and off they went. She watched as they soared up and through the hole in the cavern ceiling.

"Be safe," she whispered.

* * *

In case you were wondering, yes I know I'm evil. I made it better and then I made it worse. Not what I had planned, but then they started fighting and it was good, so I went with it. Well, I'll leave you to imagine what happens until next week.

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed (especially the reviewers) this story. It may not be as popular as Our Little Moments, it really is my favorite project right now. I think it should be finished soon, but I could be wrong, the story keeps growing.


	8. Part VII: The Hard Questions

Hiccup took more time finding Cloudjumper than he needed to.

Giving him and Astrid some time apart seemed like a good idea. Hiccup had dreamed about their reunion, but never in any of those daydreams did he think their first day together again would be marked by the worst fight they'd ever had.

Of course, his day dreams had never included them having a son either.

It was the thought of Stoick that finally had him turning Toothless back towards home. Only one day and already he was terrified what could happen while they waited. It felt wrong to be doing nothing and yet, he knew that was the best thing for them to do right now. That boy, with his bright smile and too-seeing blue eyes, already bound him. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to be in Astrid's boots.

He only hoped she had listened to him. There was no question, Astrid could go into that village and raise some hell. But they needed to be careful. He knew that, because he knew Jarle. He didn't want anyone getting hurt. Especially not Astrid or Stoick.

He found his wife right where he expected to find her: on the back of her dragon.

"Hold up, bud," he said. Toothless swung in a lazy circle as Hiccup watched.

She was practicing some of her old tricks. No easy feat without a saddle. He would have to scrounge up enough leather to fix that soon. As he watched, she tried a flip. Even out of practice, it was good. It would have been perfect, but her foot slipped on the landing.

Before Hiccup even gave the signal, Toothless dove. It was unnecessary though; Astrid's reflexes were as quick as ever. As her butt smacked down on the dragons back, she grabbed Stormfly's neck and, after a long look at the ground far below, righted herself. Hiccup and Toothless made a small adjustment, shooting past Astrid and Stormfly and then looping back up.

"Hi," she said, tracing a finger over her dragon's scales.

"Hi."

"Guess, I'm a little out of practice."

"Understandable," Hiccup said. Words whizzed around his brain more erratically than a flock of Tiny Terrors who couldn't decide who was leading in Follow-the-Leader. Hiccup gazed out over the treetops, turned golden in the evening light. "Can I show you something? It'll only take a couple of minutes."

Astrid nodded.

Toothless peeled away from Stormfly, but it wasn't long before Astrid caught back up. They soared over the trees. It was strange to have someone in his peripheral vision again. None of the other dragons ever flew next to Toothless. Left to their own devices they fell deferentially back.

He took them inland, to the base of the mountain. There was a stretch of land there where the trees were thinner. Hiccup suspected you could get there through the cave network, but he'd always been more interested in exploring above ground.

"There," he said, pointing out the spot. "It's the best spot on the island for a large group of people. It's still close to the ocean, but you've got the mountains and cliffs at your back."

"Yeah," she said.

He waited for her to look at him. To yell at him. Anything. She said nothing. So he turned Toothless back around and took them back to the cave.

They were hovering above the cavern when—finally—she spoke.

"Hiccup, we should talk."

"I know," he said. "Follow me." Toothless spiraled into the cavern, veering off once he was inside and alighting at the niche Hiccup indicated. The dragon took off again for the cave floor, making room for Astrid to land and dismount from Stormfly.

"He can fly without you now," she said.

Hiccup searched her tone for any hint of accusation, but either he was out of touch with her voice or it wasn't there.

"Yeah, I got it once upon a time. Figuring it out again wasn't terribly difficult once I got some basic tools." He wanted to reach out to her. Hold her like he had on the beach. But Eret had been right. Hiccup had no idea what the last ten years had been like for her. He had no idea what her life looked like now. "Didn't matter though. So far, I haven't found any way out of this realm. Just ways in."

He sat, his false foot scraping against the stone floor of the little alcove. Astrid sat cross-legged next to him.

"We're not in Midgard anymore, are we?" she said. "I don't recognize any of the stars here."

"Welcome to the other side of Loki's Gate. Wherever that is." Hiccup gestured to the ceiling.

Astrid shook her head. "I didn't even know we'd come through the Gate. It must have happened during the storm."

"It usually does," Hiccup said. "That's the only consistent thing I've figured out."

Whatever hesitations Hiccup had, Astrid seemed to have none of them. She leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. Just a slight shift and he had his nose next to her hair. It still smelled like he remembered.

"Astrid…" His voice broke off. Why ask? The question was pointless. "Astrid, why didn't you say anything?"

She sighed. "I was waiting for the right moment and then everything just…happened, there wasn't time. You were going and it was too late."

"There was time."

"You couldn't stay," she said.

"Astrid," he said, pulling away so he was facing her. "I would have."

Astrid took his hand in hers. "Hiccup, you couldn't stay. Toothless is the alpha. And he couldn't fly without you. You had a responsibility to him. You both had to go."

"I had a responsibility to you to."

The cavern was dark now. He could just barely seethe shine of her eyes and her hair in the gloom. All he had to read her was the tone of her voice and the hands that held his. He reached out, wanting to touch her shoulder, but stopped.

"You couldn't stay," she said softly. "And you couldn't go. It was an impossible situation, Hiccup."

It was. There was no right choice, not completely.

"He's amazing," he said. "You did an amazing job."

"I had help."

Hiccup scoffed. "Yes. I suppose there's no lack of father figures in a Viking village."

"Oh Hiccup." Her fingers fumbled over his face, until she had it cupped between her hands. Hiccup leaned into the touch, closing his eyes, loving the scrape of that calloused palm against his cheek. He had missed this. So much.

"It's a good thing," he said. "I'm glad you had people to help you. Dealing with someone who's half you and half me, well, that had to have been an adventure. I'm glad he didn't have to miss anything because I wasn't there."

"He still missed you," she said.

"How do you miss someone you've never met?"

"You just do. He still knew exactly who his father was. Never wanted to hear any stories that didn't have you in them. Oh, the questions he'd ask."

"I noticed. Does he ever stop asking questions?"

She laughed and it felt like home.

"I wonder where he got that from. He's so much like you that it hurt."

Hiccup tried to imagine spending the last ten years with that boy. He could see what she meant. Just in the last day, Stoick had reminded him so much of Astrid. Even with as much as he already loved this boy, the hurt of missing her would have flared up constantly—more often than it already had. How had his father done it?

"He's a lot like you too." Hiccup felt for the wall, standing carefully, trying not to trip over Astrid as he looked for the torch he'd affixed in this nest. There it was. Pulling out his fire sword, he lit the torch. It illuminated the small space, revealing a small, mostly unused pile of blankets in the back.

"Whose nest have we taken over? Will they want it back any time soon?"

Hiccup settled down next to Astrid again. "Nah. Toothless doesn't really use it, but I keep it ready in case I have to spend the night with a sick or wounded dragon."

"So, tell me about this Jarle."

"Not much to tell. I didn't even know he was one of Dagur's men until he told me. He was the first person who arrived after I got here." Hiccup pulled his knee up to his chest, resting his chin on it. "When it was just us, he was fine. I even helped him train a dragon. Then other people started arriving. And…the power went to his head, I guess."

"Other people?"

"Not any kind of people you want to be around, Astrid," Hiccup said. "Most of them were exiles of some sort or another."

"_Utlagr?"_ she asked, speaking the Norse word for those that were so terrible that even Vikings wanted nothing to do with them.

"Yes." He flicked a pebble sending it over the edge of the alcove. "Bad company breeds bad company. At first, I tried to help them. A few of them have dragons because of me. But the more of them that came, the more discontent they became. They became violent, vicious. They tried to use the dragons to dull the boredom. That's when we moved to this side of the island. It took some time, but eventually, Jarle learned to keep away from us."

"And now he has our son," Astrid said. She stood, pacing across the small space. "If he harms one hair on Stoick's head, I will kill him."

"You'll have to beat me to it," Hiccup said.

That stopped her. She turned to him, looking a little awestruck—like she could understand why Hiccup felt so strongly. He wasn't sure himself; he hadn't imagined you could love someone so much. But he did.

Hiccup scrubbed a hand across his eyes. He hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep since the night of the storm. Had that really been two nights ago?

"He won't though," he said. "If Jarle thinks he can use Stoick to get to me, he's not going to louse that up. He's going to plan everything carefully. Jarle likes to manipulate and control. He won'ttolerate anyone challenging him, but he's not rash."

"So what are we going to do about it?" she asked.

Hiccup suppressed a grin. "How do you feel about our own pre-dawn dragon raid?"

"Will I get a shot at Jarle's head," she asked.

"There's a good possibility."

"Then I like it." She plopped down next to him again. "So you think that place would really be a good place to build a new village?"

Hiccup had always appreciated that her mind worked a million miles a minute. It made it the equal of his own and that was part of the reason they'd always worked so well together. He also appreciated the change of subject. They still had hours to pass before they could do anything concrete.

"If you wanted to stay on the island, yes," he said.

"Jarle made it sound like there was nothing besides this island."

"That's because he's never tried to leave this island. There are hundreds of islands. I could probably find you one that would be good for a village of Vikings."

Astrid pulled her feet in, taking off her boots and tossing them somewhere over by the blankets. She wiggled her now free toes, stretching her legs out next to his. If they'd been on Berk, those toes would have been chilly in minutes. Here, it was probably pleasantly cool. Succumbing to the temptation, he undid his own boot, but he kept the peg leg on. Barefoot, he could still act quickly. Footless, though? That was another story.

"Or we could stay on this one," Astrid said, tapping her chin with her fingers.

"With Jarle," Hiccup added. "But even if it's only temporary, that's a good place to settle. You could set up camp there until you found a better spot." He wanted to say we. He wanted to know that he would be a permanent part of her life again. No, he was going to be a permanent part of her life, Stoick fixed that. But how much of her was he still allowed? He was the one that had disappeared for ten years. The way Eret stayed just a step behind her flashed across his vision. Unconsciously, he drew away from Astrid.

"And," she said, "Where would you be?"

"Here. There."

"Well, there would probably be the best choice for the chief."

Hiccup shook his head. "You're chief now, Astrid. You've been chief longer than I was. I won't take that away from you." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'll be—" he sighed, "Wherever you want me, Astrid. If you want—space, I—I'll understand." Hiccup didn't need to look up to see the intensity in her eyes. It burned across his skin. Was she angry? Frustrated? Nervous? "Just—just let me be a part of Stoick's life, please."

"What in the name of all the gods are you talking about?"

Hiccup blushed. "Astrid, I didn't expect to see you again until we met in Valhalla." It was true. He still searched for a way out, but he'd given up expecting to find one. It was more because it was the best way to pass the time. The fact that he was on the island when this storm hit had been a happy chance. A few days and he might not have even known about Stoick. He shuddered. Stoick was so small. Would he even have survived the second storm? "I don't want to disrupt any life you've built for yourself."

Astrid smacked his arm. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, you are the biggest idiot in this realm or any other." Astrid shifted so she was kneeling beside him. "I've waited ten years for this. What makes you think I want to anywhere that is away from me?"

Hiccup's heartbeat kicked up a notch. "You didn't…"

"Move on? Oh, Hiccup, how could I? That would have meant giving up on you." A thought flickered across her face and she drew back. "What about you?"

"Well, there was this one Gronkle a few years ago. Broke her heart when I told her I didn't date dragons anymore."

"Good, I would hate to have damage you after I'd just gotten you back."

Hiccup scoffed. "You'd have to take me down first."

Hiccup did not regret those words immediately, it took Astrid a little longer than that to grab his hand and twist it so it was behind his back. However, when he was face down on the gritty stone with her knee pressed firmly into his back, he did regret them.

"Thor's beard, Astrid. Why would you do that?"

Her weight shifted, her breath tickled his ear as she said, "To prove a point."

"Point proven," he said. "You obviously have not lost your touch. Can you let me go now?"

Astrid released his arm. He spun underneath her, grabbing behind her knee so she had to roll with him.

"Pinned you," he said.

Astrid pushed against him, laughing. "Get off me," she said, glaring up at him. She froze. Hiccup hoped she had been joking, because a stone statue would have been more capable of moving than he was. The tips of her fingers ran along the line of his jaw. "You're still clean-shaven."

Well, by Viking standards.

"I tried the beard thing for a while," he said. There was no need for him to whisper, but speaking any louder seemed wrong somehow. "Too itchy. I have no idea how my dad did it. It's easier to keep up with than my hair, the back is impossible without a mirror."

Astrid was currently playing with the different lengths at the back of his head. Her laughter shook through both of them.

"How long until we have to leave?" she asked.

"Hours," he said. "Not until well after midnight."

Frustration flashed across her face. Hiccup finally started to pull away. She said his name, freezing him again.

"Distract me?" she asked.

* * *

**Ugh. I know. It took so long to get to this. I had planned for it to happen earlier but then _someone_ decided to get kidnapped and the two other _someones_ decided to get into a fight. **

**I hope you enjoy.**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed and reviewed so far. I'll see ya'll next week!**


	9. Part VIII: After All These Years

For the first time in ten years, Astrid woke up next to her husband.

Astrid did not want to open her eyes. Or see if they'd overslept. She wanted to stay curled next to Hiccup and pretend that the last ten years had been a bad dream.

No, she wouldn't trade those ten years for anything. The pain of missing her husband was not an equal match for the joy of watching her son grow. Only, she wished Hiccup had gotten to share those years with her.

He was playing with what's left of her brain now, running through the stubborn tangles and unraveling it completely. Within the first few weeks of their marriage, Astrid learned that braiding her hair before bed was pointless. Even if all they managed was a soft kiss before giving into exhaustion, it was picked apart by morning. She couldn't blame him, her hair was silky.

"Astrid?" His voice was soft. "Are you awake?"

"Not yet," she mumbled. She wasn't ready to think about yesterday. Just for a few more minutes, she wanted to ignore the terror living inside her. Astrid pressed her cheek into his chest, stretching her leg. The calloused stump brushed against her shin. At some point, Hiccup must have pulled one of the blankets over to cover them.

Astrid sighed. This was what she had ached for most all those years.

"I've missed this," he said. He had completely undone her hair and moved on to tracing designs on her shoulder with one finger.

"I could tell."

He didn't miss the meaning in her playful tone. "No, not sex."

Astrid tilted her head so she could press a kiss to the vulnerable spot right next to his jaw. His hum of pleasure vibrated through both of them.

"Okay, yes, sex." His hand skimmed down the side of her face, drawing her mouth to his. When he pulled away, his eyes were huge in the flickering torchlight. They held hers. "But most of all, I just missed you."

"Me too."

Hiccup sat up, pulling the blanket off of both of them and Astrid was overcome by a nervousness that hadn't surfaced in the hurried passion of earlier. Ten years had changed her body. Having a child had changed her. She was not the same young woman of twenty he had first taken to his bed. Very close, she thought, but not the same. And at this moment, she was aware of every little thing that was different. The few pounds that had never gone away after Stoick was born. The marks on her breasts from when they had been heavy with milk.

Her husband didn't notice or didn't see at the moment, he was reaching for his shirt. The rest of his clothes and hers were strewn about them. With an exasperated sigh, he turned to her.

"Astrid," he started.

She already knew what he would ask. His false foot was well out of reach. Probably kicked aside by one of them. They were lucky it hadn't been kick towards the ledge.

Briefly, Astrid thought to pull on her shirt at least.

As quickly as the insecurity came, Astrid dismissed it. They were only scars. A different kind than the ones she had won in battle, but she had been proud of them when there was no one to see. Why should she not be proud of them now? She tossed the blanket off the rest of the way and retrieved the metal foot from the corner.

When she turned around, he was studying her without shame.

She put a hand on her hip. "Making notes so you can add another drawing to your collection?"

Hiccup winced. "You saw that?" he asked. "And I still have all my limbs? I mean, the three I haven't already lost?"

Astrid shrugged. There had been nothing offensive in the nude drawing of her. Every charred line had been soft and loving. "As long as no one else sees, I don't have a problem with it."

"Well, in that case, maybe I'll draw another one. There are some things I should update."

Astrid kicked his knee and continued to dress.

"How long to we have before we need to be in the air?" she asked.

Hiccup went to the mouth of their cave. "Another hour or so. Then it'll be late enough that their guard is down, but still dark enough that we have the advantage."

"And what advantage would that be?" Though she thought she already knew the answer.

"Toothless."

"Sit." Without meaning to, Astrid used her "chief mode" voice. It proved as useful with a full-grown Haddock man as it had with her small one. Hiccup folded his legs underneath him without questions, though he did eye her knife warily.

She grabbed hank of the mismatched hair at the back of his head and trimmed it a bit shorter.

"Can't have you looking anything less than your best," she said. "You're married to the chief of Berk after all." It wasn't her best job. Scissors would make it much better. And there are a few ridiculously short patches she can do nothing about. Still, it feltnice to do something this simple. "So, what is the plan," she asked, as she worked a knot out.

"We go in, dragons blazing. Give Jarle something to pay attention to while one of us sneaks in to get Stoick," he said. He twists, nearly getting her knife through his ear. "Is that going to be you or me?"

"You know the village?"

"Yes."

"Then you," she said, turning his head straight ahead again. "Jarle is going to regret ruining my perfect day."

"Perfect?"

She ran a hand through his hair, tracing down the line of his neck and shoulder. "It would have been perfect if that lout hadn't shown up." Hiccup leaned back into her and she can't resist placing a kiss on the top of his head. "There," she said. "You're done."

Hiccup tilted his head back. "Are you sure?"

Astrid laughed and quickly added a short braid off to the side.

"Now, you're done."

Hiccup leads them to the ground using rocky ledges and a complicated network of platforms. They were never huge hand holders back on Berk, but he kept her hand in his when they reached the ground. Astrid decided that she would not be the first to let go. As they got closer to Hiccup's cave, voices floated down the hallway.

"I'm telling you, Fishlegs, you don't want to go back down there until they get back." It was Tuffnut. "The tension between them was worse than the tension between those two."

The tone in his voice clearly indicated that Tuffnut was talking about his twin and Eret. That didn't surprise her. What surprised her was the lack of response from Ruffnut.

"Yeah," Snotlout joined in. "Who knows what they're up to?"

"Oh, you know exactly what they're up to," Tuffnut said.

Snotlout chuckled. "And if you ask me, Astrid—" Snotlout broke off as Astrid and Hiccup entered the cave, Toothless close on their heels. "—is back. Welcome back, chief. We were getting worried about you."

"No we weren't," Tuffnut said. His gaze flicked from Astrid's hair, which she hadn't bothered to put up just yet, and Hiccup's hand in hers. Hiccup's ears were bright red. Smirking, Tuff turned to Fishlegs. "See, I told you, you didn't want to go in there."

Astrid glared at him until he looked away.

That done, Astrid gathered her hair over her shoulder and started a new braid. The reason for Ruffnut's silence was abundantly clear. She was asleep, head tilted back against the cave wall, mouth wide open. Next to her, Eret had slumped over so his head rested on her shoulder. They were snoring in grating harmony.

Astrid nudged Ruffnut's boot. The woman grumbled and kicked Astrid's foot away.

"Ruffnut, Eret, wake up," Astrid said.

Apparently the lighter sleeper, Eret jerked upright at the sound of his name, his head crashing into Ruffnut's jaw in the process. The Viking woman woke cursing. Eret ducked, but not quickly enough to avoid a swat on the ear.

Hiccup gave Astrid a puzzled look.

"Later," Astrid mouthed. Now is not the time to get him caught up on the strange dance that is Eret and Ruffnut's relationship. "We have work to do, guys. Hiccup."

"Me? Right, me." Hiccup glanced around him, patting himself down. "Now where…"

Astrid held out a charred stick. "This what you're looking for?"

"Yes. Thank you, milady." His hand met hers as he took the drawing stick from her. They both smiled.

"Oh my gods, this is worse than when you were married," Ruffnut said.

Hiccup knelt on the ground and began to draw. "We're still married."

Ruffnet squinted. "Oh. Right."

"This is Jarle's village," Hiccup began. He continued to draw, explaining as he went, pointing out buildings and weaknesses. He looked up at Astrid. "This is where they'll probably have Stoick. And this is where you'll want Jarle." He traced a thick line on one side of the village. "He'll probably bring his dragon."

"They have dragons?" Snotlout said.

"A few."

"What kind?" That was Fishlegs.

"Jarle's dragon is a Whispering Death."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Well, there was your first clue. Never trust someone a Whispering Death can tolerate."

"I feel like we missed part of the conversation," Tuffnut said.

"Did you two do that thing where you talk about stuff without us," his sister added.

Quickly, Hiccup filled them in about Jarle. He and two of his men had dragons. Quickly, he gave them the rundown of his plan.

"So you're going in there alone," Eret said.

"Yes."

"And you expect everyone to go along with this? We can't risk screwing this up."

"I'm aware of that," Hiccup said. He continued drawing on the ground, pointing to a spot near the shoreline he'd drawn. "Astrid, this is where I'll be coming in from. Jarle will be expecting you to attack from inland. You'll want to draw him out here—"

"He's been gone ten years and you're all just blindly following him?" Eret said, his gaze traveled from face to face, finally settling on Astrid's. "This is Stoick we're talking about."

"He knows the island. He knows the people. So let him talk," Astrid said, putting force behind her voice. She glared at him, _End of discussion_. Eret didn't look happy, but he knew better than to argue in front of everyone else.

"Besides, Hiccup's plans always work out perfectly," Ruffnut said. She paused, placing a finger on her chin. "Well, most of the time."

"Thank you, Ruffnut," Hiccup said. "Now, if we're done with the debate, I need all of you to help Astrid keep Jarle busy while I find Stoick and get him out of there. Go get your dragons, all of you. Toothless and I will meet you on the beach."

Astrid kissed Hiccup's cheek and rose. "See you in a minute."

"Seriously, you two," Tuffnut said. "Worse than when you were married."

"Still married," Astrid said, socking Tuffnut on the arm.

"Ow." Tuffnut shuffled forward to walk with Fishlegs.

All her friends were in a hurry. Though Astrid had a feeling that had as much to do with the fact that they'd been reunited with their dragons as it did with their desire to help her son. She watched them burst into the cavern, waking all of the dragons with their loud chatter.

Astrid stopped. As she expected, Eret stopped behind her and waited.

"What in Hel's name was that about, Eret?" she asked, turning on him.

The big man took a step back, right into the cave wall. "He's known the boy for one day. I'm just not sure he's properly invested." He had no problem meeting Astrid's glare.

"And he is," she said. "Now are you going to question that?" She didn't have to tell him what would happen if he didn't fall in line.

"No, chief."

"Good," Astrid said. Up in the air, she could see Stormfly looking for her. "It wouldn't matter, you know."

"What wouldn't matter?" Eret asked.

Astrid kept her eyes on her dragon. "If Stoick wasn't his son. Hiccup would still be doing everything in his power to get him back to me. What would matter is that Stoick is mine." It was a bold statement. But Astrid knew her husband. If things had been different, Hiccup would have loved Stoick because Astrid loved him.

Eret watched her for a moment and then, he nodded.

"I see."

* * *

**Hopefully this chap makes up for the long wait. We're nearing the end guys, four more chapters after this one I think. And don't worry, it will get finished. I've got almost everything written down, I just need to edit. Uh, warning, you might want tissues for the one after this one. Because I am evil. And apparently, slightly sadistic, because man...I like writing things that make me hurt for some reason.**

**I feel I need to add a note regarding Ruffnut and Eret and the whole putting them in a relationship. I actually don't ship them as they are in the franchise right now. As Ruff is right now, I don't ship her with anyone. However, I kind of like the dynamic I see between them once she becomes less creepy, stalker-ish and treats him a little more like she'd treat the rest of the boys. And I can kind of see them working as their friendship gets stronger. We'll see, I'm still crying about the extra year we have to wait for HTTYD 3.**

**Reviews are wonderful!**


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